With the proliferation of wireless computer peripherals, e.g. keyboards and mice, the possibility of interference of associated wireless communications from other wireless computer peripherals is increased. Typically, a wireless computer peripheral is assigned a wireless channel from a set of wireless channels, in which the wireless computer peripheral transmits to an associated computer through a corresponding interface circuit that is configured with the computer. As an example, a wireless keyboard that is associated with a personal computer (PC) may be assigned a 50 KHz radio frequency (RF) channel centered around 27.145 MHz, while a wireless mouse may be assigned another 50 KHz RF channel centered around 27.195 MHz. Because the transmitted signal on the wireless channel is time-limited, with each information bit being allocated a finite time duration, the power spectrum of the wireless channel may span over a wide frequency range with respect to the assigned wireless channel. Even though the power spectrum typically decreases as a function of the frequency difference from the center frequency of the wireless channel, the residual power in an adjacent wireless channel may be significant. If two wireless devices are in close proximity of each other while operating at adjacent wireless channels, adjacent channel interference may be induced. If the level of interference is great enough (as may be gauged by a bit error rate), data communications between each wireless peripheral device to the associated computer may be degraded and even impaired. Consequently, a user of the computer may experience input errors that may or may not be detected by software that executes on the computer and that processes the inputted information.
In addition, several computers, each having an associated set of wireless peripheral devices, may operate in close proximity of each other. For example, multiple computers are often operating in close proximity of each other in an office environment, where each worker has his or her own personal computer. As with a single computer configuration, a wireless peripheral device that communicates with the same computer as another wireless peripheral device may interfere with the other peripheral device, particularly if the wireless peripheral device is operating on an adjacent wireless channel with respect to the other wireless peripheral device. Moreover, wireless peripheral devices that are associated with different computers may interfere with each, thus degrading data communications for workers in close proximity as is typical in an office environment.
In order to reduce adjacent channel interference, a waveform that is transmitted on a wireless channel is typically shaped by a filter, which may be implemented using analog or digital techniques. By shaping the waveform, the corresponding power spectrum may be reduced in the frequency range of an adjacent wireless channel. However, the inclusion of a filter increases the complexity of a wireless peripheral device and increases cost.
The scenarios that are described heretofore show a real need in the art to provide apparatuses, methods, and computer-readable media that reduce adjacent channel interference so that data communications between a wireless peripheral device and an associated computer is more reliable.